CAREER:Understanding the Role of Video in Teacher Learning

Northwestern University, Evanston IL

Investigators

Abstract

This project will study the role that video can play in how teachers learn and how they develop a professional vision of their craft. The use of video based lessons of various sorts has become popular in the professional development of teachers. Meanwhile, research has sought to focus on the notion of a "professional vision" for teaching as researchers work to refine our understanding of how good teachers optimize their blend of pedagogical and content knowledge in the context of specific instructional tasks. This project will examine the use of video in the context of teacher professional vision. It will develop, apply, and refine a new organizing and analytic framework for studying this phenomenon, and will include the analysis of video content, professional development program design, interviews with teachers, and observations of video clubs. The research will be the source of several new and revised courses on learning sciences, teaching and pedagogy, mathematics teaching methods, and alternative certification.